Families fight. Celebrities are no different. If anything, it is always interesting to read how the ultra-wealthy handle their estate planning and what issues arise on their deaths (particularly as there is usually a string of ex-spouses and multiple children involved). In today’s blog, I discuss some of the legal…
Control is an important concept for applying certain income tax rules and valuation issues (amongst others) when dealing with corporations, with serious implications to current and future (and estate) planning scenarios. De jure control refers to legal control of a corporation, which requires a look at shareholdings. Control in fact,…
Are you planning any summer holidays? Are you travelling alone or with your family? Should you decide to vacation with your older parent, there are some pre planning tips that can make this journey more enjoyable for both of you. Firstly, know what type of holiday would be best for…
Inter vivos trusts are often used in the estate planning process to manage and preserve family wealth across generations. Within that broad framework, such trusts are used for a variety of reasons. Parents or grandparents may want to establish a vehicle for funding the education costs of future generations. A…
This Blog was written by: Emily Racine While reviewing wills with clients, the focus is often on the dispositive provisions of the will; in other words, clients tend to focus on the first five pages of the will and leave the rest to the lawyers. For the most…
On June 29, 2019, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (the “HRTO”) released an interim decision which impacts upon estate trustees and which calls for some friendly scrutiny from estate solicitors and litigators. My colleague, Jacob Kaufman, blogged about a previous and related HRTO 2017 case which required that a certificate of…
Last week I attended the funeral of my mother’s dear friend and spent a few days reminiscing with long time family friends. No one wants to be the last woman standing as saying goodbye appears to get harder and harder; especially as there are fewer and fewer around to provide…
It’s that time of year again for estate planners: the season of calls from clients about to leave for vacation, who realize that they haven’t updated their Will in years. These clients typically want to make sure they update their documents before departure, “just in case anything happens while I’m…
“My assets are huge, just huge. If I had to put them into a blind trust, it would be the blindest trust of all time. You would have to stare directly into a solar eclipse to achieve the blindness of my trust.” – President Donald Trump (but not really)…
A recent case involving the estate of Canadian artist and figure skating legend, Toller Cranston (“Toller”), highlights the importance of estate planning for artists. Administering posthumous intellectual property can be complex and without guidance from the testator, disputes will often arise between trustees and the estate’s beneficiaries due to competing…